Caged Existence
by hallowednights
Summary: Allie Chatlynne is your ordinary Summer fey. There is nothing special about her or her family. Most days she does nothing. However, Allie will soon realise that sometimes the greatest of adventures begin by doing nothing at all. Full summary inside.
1. Introduction

**AN: This is my first Iron Fey fanfic. I don't care if you bash my story, I take criticism well actually and would love see how I can improve. I'll say this, I do not own any of the original characters from The Iron Fey (ie Puck, Ash, Meghan, etc), however I did come up with the idea for Aellyn and other OC's. Be warned, this fic will have swearing in it, but I won't describe sex, so sorry all you erotic creeps xD Anyway, enjoy, I'll only writing Author's Notes when it is of dire importance, or I am informing you of my lack of updating. I hope you enjoy my story, and don't forget about that review button!**

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**Introduction.**

Despite the fact that Aellyn Chatlynne was a Summer fey, she was never interested in the politics of the Courts or attending Elysium whenever the event came around. She was a simple girl, never wavering in demeanour or letting her emotions get the best of her. If there was only one thing in the world Allie could change about herself, it would be the devotion she has towards her brother. After losing both parents as children, Allie and Ryder are the only family each other has left are will die for each other.

Our story starts 10 years since Meghan Chase and Ash of the Winter Court began to rule over the Iron Kingdom. In that time, Allie has been sitting idly by waiting for her own grand adventure. However, she will soon realise that sometimes the greatest of adventures and the most passionate of romances begin by doing nothing at all.


	2. One: Lone Wolf

**Chapter One: Lone Wolf.**

Since they were young, children were never really given a set path to walk on. While their parents would often try to steer them onto the path of good, or mould them into pawns for an antagonistic army, children would always have the free will that adults eventually lost gratitude for. For Aellyn Chatlynne, she hadn't been set on either path. As the young summer fey overlooked the courtyards of Arcadia, she began to ponder her existence. Why had she been born? What use did she have in the world? Personally, Allie thought she was useless, she never attended court, never attended Elysium and had no intentions of getting married and reproducing more Summer fey. Hell, she didn't even have that many friends. Really the only person she could call a friend was that blonde Evie who sometimes spoke so fast she would choke. It wasn't that she was a loner, she just hadn't found anybody who knew her that well. Right now, there was only person in her life right now, her brother Ryder and he was off hunting in the wyldwood. Most days, she was alone in Arcadia in a large empty house left to her by her parents and would spend her days painting the most mesmerising of items or training for the next time she would have to defend herself in battle.

Hearing the sound of chattering girls beneath her, Allie jumped down off the high roof she was sitting on. Almost every day she would use her glamour to help launch herself onto the roof of the Farrowspring manor and admire their gardens. Often she would bring her sketchpad and sketch the scenery but today she just say there with her arms hugging her legs. She was lonely.

Using glamour to help soften her landing, Allie floated in mid air before hitting the ground with a solid thud. Bending her knees on impact, Allie steadied herself and pushed her hair back. Across the gardens, a pair of chatty young fey girls were laughing and giggling as if there was no tomorrow. Allie couldn't help but smile at the scene. They were only children and yet they had formed a friendship to last a lifetime. Her stomach racked with loneliness as Allie quietly slipped out of the gardens, the laughs of the feys ringing in her ears.

Arcadia was a peaceful time since Meghan Chase, their half-breed princess, had overthrown both the King and the False King of the Iron Realm. Allie had heard the stories from Ryder who had been told personally from the Erlking's jester Robin "Puck" Goodfellow. The way that Ryder would pass on the story with his over exaggerating hand gestures and use of fire to increase the suspense of dramatic events would always be a permanent memory.

While it was still considered taboo to have a relationship with Winter fey, Allie would often see Summer and Winter fey walking together. Even though the rest of the street would scowl or throw things out them due to disgust, Allie would look on happily, glad that they found each other. It wasn't as if they noticed the torment anyway, they were too busy staring into each others eyes.

Love love love. What is it good for? Give her twenty mortal years and Allie probably couldn't answer. Ryder probably couldn't either. Despite the fact that he would be at Court flirting with every girl didn't mean he had ever found love. They were the same in the boat.

The walk from the manor to home was a relatively short one. All Allie really had to do was walk through the markets and she was there. Fey markets were similar to the mortal ones except they were more deadly. If you accidentally said 'thank you' after purchasing something, consider your first born child gone. If your child had stolen an apple, they'd be turned into a topiary piece and put on display. Fun times in Arcadia. Allie weaved her way in the slightly crowded marketplace. The air stunk of various perfumes, burning her nostrils and the air was hot from all the bodies pushing against each other. A hoard of stall keepers overlapped each other and Allie wondered how customers could tell them apart.

Then, surfacing from the sea of voices, Allie heard her name being called. Turning to her right, her dark hair flicked the face of a rather fat old fey who had sweat dripping form her forehead. Proof that not all fey are beautiful. Ignoring the woman, Allie used a brush of her fingers to send the woman spinning when she grabbed the back of Allie's shirt to punish her as Allie made her way to the man calling her name. "Cass," she murmured in a sly voice. "You called?" Allie bent down, placing both elbows on the table, resting her chin on her palm.

Cassiel, despite his beautiful name was one-eyed and missing all of his hair. Never enter a bet which you know you can't win. There is a reason why pride is a sin. Cassiel wiped his dirty hands on his shirt and then let out a haughty laugh. "Aye Allie, nothin' of import. Just 'aven't seen ya in a while," he said and laughed, out of context.

Allie pursed her lips and rolled her head to one side. "Glad to see you care Cass," she smiled, her lips resembling those of a smirking cait sith. Cassiel's protege, whose name Allie had never learnt was busy rushing bulbous fruit around and trying to sell it to customers. "How's business?" Allie asked, standing up straight so that she was towering over Cassiel. Despite his missing eye and lack of hair, Cassiel was a very short man, only reaching Allie's neckline.

Rubbing his head with his large hand, Cassiel chuckled and shrugged. "The same as always darl. Not very good," his laugh grew and was now a booming sound. "In fact, I've 'ad to take up another job. 'elping those snobby guards protect the Court," he frowned and scratched his chin. "I 'ate those bastards."

Releasing a laugh, Allie shook her head. "Don't worry Cass. I'm sure you're ten times better than all those idiot guards. They couldn't even keep a minotaur out at Elysium ten years ago," she explained. Ten years might be a long time for mortals, but for the fey, it was nothing.

Cassiel's laugh grew louder as he arched his back, his hands resting on his expanding stomach. "Aye Allie, we can agree on that one darl," he wiped his hands before placing both of his hands on Allie's cheeks. "Get out of the 'ouse more darl. You've such a pretty face. Find a nice boy, ey?" He grinned. Cassiel was missing a tooth on the right of his top row and Allie could see strings of saliva dangling in his mouth. Most people would be disgusted, but Allie was used to it.

Scrunching her face up, Allie drew away. "Well why don't you set me up with one Cass?" She asked and fixed her hair up, rearranging the butterfly pin binding her dark locks all together.

Cassiel lifted a barrel of square shaped vegetables and grinned. "You know me darl. With only one eye, I'd probably pick out a phouka for you."

Allie shrugged and then quirked her lips. "I'd take a phouka over a winter fey," she added.

Releasing his haughty laugh once more, Cassiel turned away. "Any day darl. Now you run off and take care Allie girl." He ushered her with his free hand and Allie stepped back.

"As always Cass," Allie nodded, doing an out of context curtsy before turning on her heel and walking away.

Cassiel wasn't a father to Allie, hell he wasn't even close but he was always there for her. They'd first met after Allie and Ryder's mother had died. Apparently Cass had been a 'business partner' with Kendra and would stop by every second day to check on the young fey. No, he wasn't a father. More like the strange uncle you kept around for kicks.

It didn't take long for Allie to return home and be met with the warmth of a furnace. The afternoon was still young and frankly Allie couldn't stand not doing anything. So grabbing the twin needle thing weapons on her dining table, Allie made a steady dash to her training room to do just that. Train.

**What to expect next chapter:** The action finally kicks in. Some canon characters appear. You'll see a side of Allie I'm sure you would've expected.


	3. Two: Everyday Strangers

**Chapter Two: Everyday Strangers.**

Before Allie knew it, night had fallen. Standing opposite her, twenty metres away was a humanoid target, it's large red bullseye over it's heart, staring Allie down. Lifting her arm one final time, Allie threw her final dagger, piercing the heart of the target like the many other knives beforehand. The target swayed backwards upon impact and after one final groan, collapsed.

Pushing her dark hair out of her face, Allie straightened her back before walking over to the target. Slowly, but firmly, she pulled each blade out, replacing them in her one final effort, she dug her toe underneath the target, wobbling it to make sure it was on properly before flinging it several feet in the air with a burst of force. As the target shot into the air, Allie lowered her foot before jumping up. She moved with the wind, her hair whipping her face. Twisting her arms counter clockwise, Allie twisted her body clockwise, her right leg smashing into the target as her arms spun out, unwinding themselves. Straw flew everywhere, the target now in pieces, raining down on the courtyard. Allie landed perfectly. Both legs were bent, her left one tucked behind her right. Both hands were on the ground, albeit her fingers were the only limbs making contact. Allie's eyes were closed, as she faced the ground, her hair falling around her.

She could feel the straw descending onto her body and stood up, slowly opening her cerulean blue eyes. It was dusk in Arcadia, and the sky was as beautiful as ever, but that wasn't the beauty Allie was admiring. Instead she was appreciating the strewn pieces of her enemy, or at least her enemy substitute. She knew that in a real battle, her target wouldn't be stationary or dissolved into a thousand stalks of straw, but she'd rather be half-trained than not trained at all.

Turning away from her proud scene, Allie pulled some straw out of her hair before making her way back inside. Her house had been left to her by her parents, Kendra and Pierce, when Ryder and Allie were young. After Kendra died, Pierce took off into the wyldwood and hasn't been seen since. The young siblings knew he was alive because he would leave gifts for them, but other than that, Allie was beginning to forget what her father looked like.

Now, the house was empty. It only housed Ryder and Allie and when Ryder was away, it felt like a ghost house. It was once a home, but now, it was just a roof over Allie's head. Making her way to the bathroom, Allie begrudgingly promised herself to clean after every training session. She was tired, but not physically. Mentally. Things had been strange lately, like something was stirring but Allie couldn't figure out what exactly. Not even the hot steam from the shower could help.

Glamouring up a set of pyjamas from her room, Allie didn't care if they fit or not, and just slipped into them. Nobody would see her in them anyway. She made her way onto her bed, one knee first and then her whole body. She didn't bother getting under the cover and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling before feeling restless. Rolling onto her side, her face was up against the wall and Allie could feel the draught seeping in from the crack between her wall and window.

Taking this breeze as a reminder that the world still revolved, Allie slowly fell asleep. That night, she didn't dream. Nothing interrupted the motion of falling asleep and the pain of waking up.

The next morning, the markets were as busy as ever as Allie stood next to Cassiel's stand, biting down on a golden apple. It looked very similar to the mortal version, however this particular fruit would cause mortals to turn into trees for a good month.

The sweet juice trickled down Allie's throat as she took her fifth bite. "Oi!" Cassiel called out to a phouka admiring his square shaped fruits. "You either buy somethin', or get the hell outta 'ere," he snapped and thrust his large hairy arms in the air, motioning for her to leave. The phouka scowled, no growled, at Cassiel. However this couldn't be heard over all the other chatter.

Allie watched amused as she finished her meal off, even swallowing the stalk. "Busy day Cass?" She asked, folding her arms, leaning against the wooden plank holding the stall up.

Cassiel snorted with laughter and then rubbed his chin. "You wouldn't mind 'elping an old man would'ya Al?" He grinned. Allie raised an eyebrow, beckoning him to continue. Cassiel held up one finger before turning around and lifting up a crate full of fey honeyhurl fruit. "Listen Al, all you 'ave to do it restock a couple of things. I'm too busy working with all the money," he explained.

Pushing herself off the pillar, Allie tied her dark hair up into a ponytail. Shorter curls still stuck around but she nodded. "Alright Cass, but you owe me," she explained.

"Better not be a 'uge favour darl. Old Cassiel is getting old and can't do everything I used to," he laughed, holding his stomach as he did.

Allie rolled her eyes and took the crate from him. "Don't be ridiculous Cass. You're as fit as ever. That layer of fat isn't fooling anyone," she explained and pushed a fey to the side so she could get through.

Laughing once more, Cassiel grinned. "Oi, this is muscle girl. But at least I know you respect your elders. Unlike those other 'alf-ass fey," he scowled.

Kneeling down, Allie slowly began to unload the fruit. From all directions, she could feel customers pushing her sides as she unloaded the crate. Often she would pinch their legs and then use glamour to make herself invisible. It worked...most of the time.

By the time she was done Allie had bruises on her legs from where people had kicked her, either by accident or on purpose. Groaning, she pushed herself up and threw the box behind the stall, missing Cassiel and his still nameless assistant. "Oi, you weren't aiming for me, were you girl?" Cassiel asked.

"Never in a million years Cass," Allie smiled and began to worm her way out of the crowd.

When she could see the edge of the crowd of customers, Allie slid her hands forward, using them to part the crowd and then stepped out into the fresh air...only to get the wind knocked out of her.

A great force slammed into Allie's right side and she fell to the ground, rolling several feet before springing up and seeing a fey, roughly her physical age on the dirt a few feet away from her. He had his palms on the ground, propping him up as his jeans were covered in dirt. He shook his red hair and cleaned his jeans as Allie stood up, gripping her side where he had run into her. "Hey!" She called out irritated. "What the hell is the matter with you?" She asked, almost a yell as she staggered over to the boy.

He looked up, green eyes meeting blue and grinned. "Sorry about that darling. Usually when I'm running away from phouka's, I don't run into somebody equalling as gorgeous as myself," he laughed and sprung up.

Allie scowled. "I don't like charmers. My brother has a friend who is ten times worse than you," she admitted. "Anyway, watch where you're going," she crossed her arms over her chest and then scanned the crowd. Nobody had even noticed what had transpired. "So, where's your fanclub?" She asked, facing the boy again.

"I must have lost them. I guess that's the perks of being Robin Goodfellow," he laughed. "Agility so fast, strength so powerful, face so handsome..."

"Ego so high?" Allie interrupted. "I'd heard that you could be conceited, but nothing beats the flesh," she explained and rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately, Puck ignored this and stepped closer, now on Allie's side. He swung an arm around her shoulder and grinned. "Ahh, so you've heard of me? The court jester. Oberon's right hand man?" He asked, examining the nails on his free hand. "Can't say I'm surprised."

Allie's face turned blank as she stared at Puck. "Oh my god, you're just like Julian. Like we need two of him running around," she groaned and rolled her eyes. Allie exhaled and then turned around, preparing to walk away.

Piquing his interest, Puck grinned. "So you're used to people of, how shall we put it, my type?" He asked. Falling back into the ground, he resurfaced in front of Allie. Jumping back, she was obviously startled as her eyes grew large and her foot skidded backwards in the dirt. "Didn't mean to scare you darling," he smirked.

Pushing Puck away, Allie scowled. "Stop calling me darling. You don't know me," she sighed and attempted to step past him only to be intercepted.

"Well then darl, give me a name to call you by." Before Allie could respond curtly, Cassiel began to shout her name over the crowd. Holding her head in her hands, Allie held up a finger to Cassiel, asking him to wait. Puck turned to her, a sinister grin on his face. "Allie? Is that short for something?" He asked and pulled on a strand of his hair. "Alyssa? Alanah?"

"Aellyn. It's Aellyn," she said, before the boy could get carried away with his name guessing.

He looked pleased and could only grin. "Aellyn. I like you Aellyn. You have spunk."

Allie could only stiff a laugh. "Spunk? Who uses that word anymore?"

"Ah, Robin Goodfellow does," he grinned, triumphantly.

"So what you're saying is that only people who talk in third person do?" She asked. Puck's smile faltered. "Thanks for your time Mr. Goodfellow, but I have matters to attend to.

Puck pushed his lips together and scrunched his nose up and turned away. "C'mon Allie-cat. Lighten up. I bet you're not this mean to this Julie I remind you of."

"Julian," she corrected but she knew he was just teasing her. "And no, I'm meaner. I actually punch him. If you'd like to suffer the same fate I could arrange that." Her face looked neither threatening or timid, just blank.

"Ooh, tough girl," Puck laughed as Cassiel called Allie's name once more. "Well Allie-cat, I think your boyfriend is calling," he smirked and waved at Cassiel.

Allie turned to face Cassiel and nodded. "Does that mean you're leaving now?" She asked and then turned back to face Puck. However, he was already gone. "Finally," she sighed and threw her hands up as she walked back to Cassiel.

"Who was that Al?" He asked, scratching his right bicep.

Allie rolled her eyes. "The royal jester," she frowned and grabbed a honeyhurl fruit.

"Aye, I thought so. What did he want?"

Turning the fruit in her hand, Allie suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. "What does anybody want with me? Nothing."

**What to expect next chapter**: Home invasions

Aellyn is shopping in the market when she runs into Puck who attempts to flirt with her. She rebuffs him but admits that she is impressed by the stories she hears about him. Puck is intrigued by her and beats her home – he is sitting on her lounge by her front door. When Allie walks in, she gets startled and drops her bags. She draws the glamour around her and causes Puck to fly across the room as she tells him to get out of her house. Since Puck is stronger since he is older, he laughs it off and restores her room to normal saying he will leave if she goes out on a date with him, admitting that she looks like fun. Allie pulls the rug out from under him but he flies up and tells her that her glamour, while strong, won't work against him. Then she throws a small thin dagger from her belt towards Puck. He avoids it in time but it nicks his shirt. Puck surrenders, admitting she is a formidable opponent and asks for her name. He sees a photo of Ryder and Allie and recalls Ryder telling him about Allie but he tests her to see if she will tell him the truth. He doesn't share this with her. Allie is reluctant to give her name but after Puck explains that he could just ask somebody nearby, she concurs and introduces herself. Puck asks her out once more, and once more she rejects him. Puck leaves as promised but sends flowers to her house every day until eventually she agrees to go out with him.


End file.
